The Royale (episode)
The Enterprise investigates the wreckage of a 21st century Earth spaceship orbiting a distant planet and the appearance of a casino with inhabitants based on a paperback novel. Summary This episode begins with an old puzzle. Captain Picard shows Commander Riker how Fermat's last theorem has gone unsolved for 800 years. Soon, the ''Enterprise'' encounters another mystery: a piece of space debris, part of a large cluster in orbit, in a sector far beyond the reaches of Earth. When beamed aboard, a marking is clearly visible: NASA. Investigation begins with the planet's surface: large concentrations of ammonia and other gases, and wind speeds up to 312 m/s. When they beam down to an anomalous spot, however, it is quiet; the storm rages above them, and in the black, there is nothing but a revolving door. On the other side of the door is a lavish hotel and casino, right out of Earth's mid-20th century. Despite the presence of the hotel staff and many gamblers, the tricorder reads no life signs, and comm badges have lost their signal. When they attempt to leave, the door revolves them back into the casino. Only after much investigation is contact returned, and they understand what is going on here. They discover a hotel room upstairs with a novel, Hotel Royale, a dead body, and a diary. The last entry reveals aliens building this place for the lone survivor of a disaster they caused, based only on this second-rate fictional tome. Conjecturing the book's ending, they attempt to fit in. Rich investors are said to buy the place and walk out, so Data starts gambling at the craps table. Within hours, they are able to get enough money to buy it, and just as the story says, walk out. Log Entries *[[Captain's log, USS Enterprise (NCC-1701-D), 2365#Mission to Theta VIII|Captain's log, USS Enterprise (NCC-1701-D), 2365]] Memorable quotes "What planet is this?" "I beg your pardon?" "This planet. What do you call it?" "Earth. What do you call it?" "We call it Theta VIII." "How charming." : - Riker, Clerk, and Worf "How did you get here?" "Vegas? Drove my car." "Can you take me there?" : - Data and "Texas" "Perhaps those turbolifts can take us there." (He stands in front of the door expecting it to open automatically like the Enterprise turbolifts) "Seems to be malfunctioning..." : - Worf, about the hotel lift. "Looks like the poor devil died in his sleep." "What a ''terrible way to die." :- '''Riker' and Worf "When the train comes in everybody rides!" : - Riker "Revolving door? Number One, proceed with caution." : - Picard Background Information * Fermat's last theorem is mentioned as being unproved for 800 years. In 1995 (several years after this episode was written), however, a proof was discovered by Andrew Wiles. It was later corrected for in a comment made by Jadzia Dax talking to Tobin (embodied in Chief O'Brien during Jadzia's zhian'tara) in the Star Trek: Deep Space Nine episode by making the comment that many others have tried more original approaches to Fermat's Last Theorem since Wiles' original proof in the 1990s. Cliff Bole also directed "Facets". * The idea of an advanced alien race recreating a suitable environment from a wayward astronaut's cultural artifacts in which to live out his final days was first detailed by notable science fiction author at the end of . A somewhat similar concept is also explored in the Voyager episode . * The 52-star flag seen in "The Royale" is unusual in that the field of stars rests on a red stripe instead of a white stripe. The 15-star "Star-Spangled Banner" flown over Fort McHenry during the War of 1812 was the last such flag, and since then, all flags (then returning to 13 instead of 15 stripes) have had the familiar arrangement of the field being to the left of the first seven stripes and resting on the 8th, a white. * The presence of 52 stars on the flag, according to on screen dialog, means that it was created some time between the years 2033 and 2079. It is unknown when the USA added its 51st and 52nd states, or what states those might be (one likely candidate is , which is already a US territory, another is the whose admission as a state has been a subject of debate for some time), although this had to have occurred before 2033. * The mission patch on the dead astronaut's uniform is an anachronistic blooper -- it is an Apollo 17 (1972) patch, clearly bearing the names of that mission's astronauts (Cernan, Evans, and Schmitt). * The debris of the Charybdis beamed aboard the Enterprise features the NASA "worm" logo. NASA retired this logo in 1992 (just a few years after this episode was filmed), replacing it with the traditional "meatball" logo. Video and DVD releases * Original UK VHS release (two-episode tapes, CIC Video): Volume 19, . * UK re-release (three-episode tapes, Paramount Home Entertainment): Volume 2.4, . * As part of the TNG Season 2 DVD collection. Links and References Special Guest Appearance By *Diana Muldaur as Katherine Pulaski Guest Stars *Sam Anderson as The Assistant Manager *Jill Jacobson as Vanessa *Leo Garcia as The Bellboy Special Appearance By *Noble Willingham as Texas Co-Stars *Colm Meaney as Chief O'Brien *Gregory Beecroft as Mickey D Uncredited Co-Stars *Laura Walsh as a Cocktail waitress *Unknown actor as Ziggy References 7 billion years ago; 2033; 2037; 2044; 2082; American flag; ammonia; blackjack; Cadillac; carbon; casino; casino chips; Celsius; Cernan; Charybdis; croupier; cryogenics; class K; Colonel; cowboy hat; craps; Decatur; dice; DNA; door; Earth; Evans; Fermat, Pierre de; Fermat's last theorem; gambling; Hotel Royale; hurricane; hydrogen-carbon helix; hydrogen; Jacob; Klingon; Klingon cruiser; Las Vegas; Lubbock; Math; Matthews, Todd; meters per second; methane; NASA; NCC-7100; Nevada; neon; nitrogen; phaser; poker; revolver; Stephen G. Richey; Rita; Royale; Schmitt; slot machine; Sol system; telephone; Tennessee; Texas; Theta VIII; Theta 116 system; tornado; turkey; United Federation of Planets; United States Air Force; United States of America; United States dollar |next= }} Royale, The de:Hotel Royale (Episode) es:The Royale fr:The Royale nl:The Royale